GATES: It's unlikely that a more transmissive variant will appear after the Omikejong variant

On January 12, on Tuesday, local time in the United States, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Devi Sridhar, professor of global health at the University of Edinburgh and director of the Global Health Governance Project, participated in a Q&A event on Twitter. They talked about many topics, including the shortcomings of existing COVID-19 vaccines, the development trend of the epidemic, and he also refuted the conspiracy theory of taking advantage of the opportunity to implant chips into the human body.

During the 45-minute conversation, Gates said the COVID-19 vaccine had two major flaws, namely its inability to prevent re-infection from the virus variant and the short duration of protection. He also said that a more contagious variant is unlikely to emerge after the Omikejong variant virus, and we should be able to expect to see "far fewer cases of infection" with COVID-19. For the rest of the year, the virus can be treated like seasonal flu.

Gates also spoke about several familiar topics that have emerged in the past two years, including the mistakes made in dealing with the outbreak, access to vaccines, and defended conspiracy theories about the opportunity to implant chips into the human body. Gates said he didn't expect himself and Infectious Disease Specialist Dr. Tony Fauci to be the targets of such disinformation campaigns. He asked: "Some things, like I implanted a chip into the human body, made no sense to me, why should I do it?" ”

Here's the Gates Q&A session:

Q: Now, which scientific or technological breakthroughs will have a greater impact on ending the pandemic?

GATES: Our existing vaccines are very good at preventing severe infections and deaths, but they have at least two key flaws: these vaccines still fail to prevent mutant virus infections, and the duration of protection seems to be very limited. We need vaccines that prevent repeat infections and can protect them for years.

Q: Absolutely agree with you that the next generation of vaccines should have sterilising immunity capabilities. Second question: What are the current challenges in achieving universal access to global vaccination?

GATES: During 2021, the supply of vaccines is very limited, and most of them are going to rich countries. Now that we have a large supply overall, the problem shifts to the logistics and demand side. In addition, health systems in developing countries are a limiting factor. The mRNA vaccine still doesn't meet all the needs, so figuring out who injected what vaccine is still quite complicated.

Q: There's been a lot of talk about the responsibility of pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer and Moderna about vaccine supply. What role do these companies play in securing pricing and supply, especially in low- and middle-income countries?

GATES: When we have enough supply, we use tiered pricing strategies, where rich countries pay much more than middle-income countries, while low-income countries pay the least. And when supply is constrained, rich countries can't bid higher than other countries, so governments remain key.

Q: Given that you've been warning about the prevention of respiratory infectious diseases for years, looking back at 2020 to 2021, what do you think is the biggest mistake most countries (with the resources to) make in responding to outbreaks?

GATES: Several countries like Australia have moved quickly to screen for infected cases on a large scale and isolate those who are infected, which can drastically reduce the number of deaths. Once the number of infections in a country spikes, it may be too late to act again. Therefore, the response in the first few months is crucial. In addition, some countries are doing better in reducing mobility, using masks and protecting older people. But we weren't prepared and didn't practice ahead. Do you think the world will come together to prepare for the next similar crisis? I hope so, but I can't be sure.

Q: One of the most interesting questions is how do we respond to the challenge of online misinformation about vaccines, masks and other interventions on Facebook and other platforms? Especially when expertise is ignored and conspiracy theories are disseminated as if they were facts?

GATES: Trusted agencies like the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention need more resources to detect outbreaks early (monitor) and communicate better. Social media is lagging behind in trying to post factual information, and there will be a lot of debate about how to do better in this regard. People like you and me, Dr. Tony Fauci, are affected by a lot of misinformation. I didn't expect that to happen. Some things, such as rumors that I took the opportunity to implant a chip into the human body, made no sense to me, why should I do that?

Q: Speaking of the Gates Foundation's mission, what do you think is the biggest challenge facing the development of poor countries right now? Are we going backwards in girls' education and child survival?

GATES: From 2000 until the outbreak, we made a lot of progress on health and other goals. But the pandemic has been a major setback, including the lack of attention paid by rich countries to the needs of developing countries. I hope we can turn that around. I am optimistic about eradicating polio and we are very close to our goal. Eradicating malaria, HIV, nutrition and more will all take longer, but better tools are coming. Education also needs innovation, which lags behind global health, especially girls' education.

Q: Here's a tricky question: Where do you think SARS-CoV-2 came from? What data would you like to see? Is this information important to prevent future outbreaks?

GATES: The data is pretty powerful, suggesting it comes from other species, which is true for most epidemics. People will continue to study this, and we should ensure that the laboratory is cautious. There will be outbreaks from other species in the future, so we need to invest and be prepared.

Q: The last question, probably everyone wants to know the answer, which is how and when will the outbreak end? Does Omikeron indicate that we will "coexist with the virus"? Or will there be other dangerous variants of the virus in 2022?

GATES: As countries experience outbreaks of the Omikejong variant virus, their health systems will be challenged. Most people with severe infections will be unvaccinated people. Once the Omikejong virus-induced outbreak is over, there should be fewer infections for the rest of the year, so that COVID-19 can be treated more like seasonal flu.

More contagious variants are unlikely to emerge, but Omikejong has surprised us very much during this pandemic. At least next year, Omi kerong will make more people immune to the virus. We may have to get vaccinated every year for some time to come. It's important that Trevor Bedford, an associate professor at the University of Washington State's Department of Epidemiology, started a conversation about how we can avoid the next outbreak. I appreciate the work he does in this regard. Next time we can do better! (Small)

Source: NetEase Technology Report

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